Mark of Wing
by TheMoonclaw
Summary: "Call it what you will, Bleu, but I'm here to ask for your help." the winged girl admitted begrudgingly. Post BoF 1, hints at BoF 2


**Forgot this when I first uploaded: Legal stuff. No, I DON'T own Breath of Fire, and no, I'm NOT mkaing any money off this fanfiction. **

Endless tides of sand passed under wing as a giant bird with pink and purple flight feathers flew towards a spot on the horizon. The spot abruptly shifted position and the bird squawked out of annoyance, dipping a little lower to skim the sand.

The spot continued to move while the bird steered carefully, staying on track.

Once the dot's true identity could be seen, the bird used an updraft of hot desert air to spike higher and glide over it, making sure to line up properly and avoid another sudden move.

With a flash of white light and a few flurries of feathers, the giant bird's form slowly sank into a much smaller shape; that of a girl with short blonde hair and large white wings on her back.

She flapped her wings and tried to land on the uneven stone pavement beneath her without crashing, and ended up sinking to the ground in a semi-kneeling position, using one hand to brace herself.

"Well, that was a pain," she complained, standing up and rolling out her shoulders.

Checking over herself to ensure that she was alright, she looked around at her surroundings, thinking it hadn't changed much.

The moving city of Wisdon was a shell of it's former glory, with destroyed buildings and debris everywhere.

The stone pavement was cracked and uneven and the winged girl watched her step as she picked around the ruins of an item shop.

Littered with stray magic currents it made her hair stand on end, yet there were no feelings of creepiness or uneasy, only the hum of loneliness.

As she passed by a damaged and dry fountain, a sparkle of light made her stop and glance up, seeing a gathering of mist.

The gathering continued until it formed a spirit made of vapor with large eyes and mouth.

"Halt!" it said in a commanding voice.

Then it's eyes narrowed as if it were squinting, "Oh, never mind. Welcome back to Wisdon Princess Nina."

The girl smiled, "Thank you…" she hesitated, "…Wisp?"

"Cloud."

She winced, "Sorry…"

The spirit quavered, "It's alright, it's a common mistake. Why, even the Legendary Sorceress referred to Myst as Smoke one time. He was mad at her for decades…"

Nina giggled, although his words reminded her why she was here and she averted her eyes.

"Actually, that's why I'm here. I was wondering if it would be possible to see the sorceress."

Cloud looked surprised and hesitated, although he finally nodded, "I suppose we could try and wake her. Anything wrong?"

Nina shook her head, "Not really, no. But I have…a question for her."

Oh, did she just swallow a lot of pride!

The spirit blinked and then appeared a few feet away, near the entrance into the main temple, "Then, follow me."

She did as he told her too and wandered behind the moving vapor into the gloomy residue of the temple.

She found herself looking around, even if she'd seen it all before, and a frown crept onto her face the further they went.

The only person to live here, besides the three watchful spirits, was the self proclaimed, Legendary Sorceress.

A woman Nina despised quite neatly, in fact.

"_Self-centered, self-absorbed, arrogant, flirtatious, lazy and of course, condescending_." she thought to herself, the frown deepening into a full fledged scowl.

It was unfair that the only female companion she had met on her travels to save the world was _her_.

Finally they descended a set of stairs into a large chamber that was completely empty save for a wide stone table at the center, where a woman with the lower half of a snake was sleeping.

Two other spirits flickered into being and Nina greeted them, earning a sharp look from one.

"Why do we have a visitor?" it asked.

Cloud rolled it's eyes, "Don't be anti-social, Myst."

Nina coughed lightly, drawing their attention, "I'm sorry to have disturbed you, but I require that the sorceress be awaken so that I may ask her a question." she said, pouring on a formal yet friendly tone.

"_Thank goodness for royal court life after all_!"

Myst, or who she assumed was Myst, huffed but shut up while the other two turned to the sleeping woman.

"We can try to wake her up, but no promises. And, she'll probably be in a bad mood because she's only been asleep for a few years…" they warned.

Nina nodded, "I understand."

Inwardly she was wondering if it was possible for the half snake lady to _be_ in a worse mood then she already was, but she didn't dare voice her thoughts.

Like the first time they had awakened the woman, when the whole group was here and needing her help, nothing seemed to work.

Nina, who was growing impatient, tapped her foot and crossed her arms as they continued to try and coax their mistress to life.

"I could stab her with my rapier if it would make this go faster," she quipped, earning a chuckle from the three spirits.

"That would probably work, but lady Bleu might not appreciate it."

Finally they hovered back a few feet and the air shook as a small thunder bolt came from the roof and smacked Bleu in the face.

There was a pause, and she didn't move.

Nina rolled her eyes, about to make a comment, when the sorceress started to stir.

There was a pause, and then, "Ugh! What the…How many times have I told you to not zap me with a thunder bolt! Stupid floating spirits…"

Nina frowned; yes, that was the Bleu she knew and hated.

One spirit opened his mouth but she continued to rant, rubbing her eyes, "And you'd better have a _good_ reason for waking me up. It better not be _another_ dragon war, I swear, someone is going to _die_ if that's the case! Or, better yet, you just needed to make sure I was _alright_. As if I wouldn't be!"

Nina watched the scene from her spot near the staircase, remembering again why she disliked this woman. "_No concern for others_…"

"Lady Bleu!" one of the ghosts shouted, drawing her attention, "We woke you because there is someone here who wishes to speak with you."

Muttering to herself the sorceress sat up, her snake lower half un curling.

Her violet eyes met Nina's blue ones and she frowned.

"Seriously, you woke me up to talk to _her_? Someone _is_ going to die after all…"

Her patience, which was already fraying, snapped completely and Nina stomped over, "Look here, I came a long way and swallowed a lot of pride to wake you up because I wanted to ask you something! The least you could do is talk to me instead of the ghosts!"

Bleu smirked, "Your voice can still reach that high pitched shriek, Nina."

A glare was sent her way.

"Alright, I'm listening. Why did you come here?" she asked, combing slender fingers through her long blue hair.

Nina hesitated.

Now that she was here, she wasn't exactly sure how to phrase what she actually wanted. It left her blinking and clasping her hands behind her back.

Bleu wasn't helping with the way she just continued to stare, and the spirits had fallen silent as well, simply hovering nearby.

"…Well, I…um…I'm getting married,"

Bleu held up her hands, "And?"

"Thanks for the well wishes…" Nina muttered sarcastically.

The sorceress sighed and waved her hands in a shooing motion, making the spirits fade out into nothingness.

"I hate the way they just…stand there, not doing anything." she commented, cracking her neck. "So, answer me a question, Dove. How long has it been since we saved the world?"

Ignoring the annoying nickname she had forgotten about until just that moment, Nina answered, "Three years."

Bleu's eyes widened, "And your just now getting married? Sheesh, sure took your sweet time, you two did!"

The princess rolled her eyes, "Well, I'm sorry but unlike _some_ lazy people I know, there were towns to rebuild and clans to help and people to aid. Just because we defeated an insane emperor and an equally insane goddess doesn't mean everything is suddenly roses and peaches! Rebuilding after a war takes time," she stopped herself and calmed down. Still, after all this time the sorceress could rattle her.

"So, Your not just here to invite me to the wedding, I take it? Ha, it's okay, weddings aren't my thing anyway…oh, your dad was okay with this? I mean, I thought the Wing Clan had weird laws and stuff around marriage." Bleu said, apparently ignoring the statements before.

Nina crossed her arms and looked at a nearby wall, "It helps when the person you want to marry is also the person who saved your father's-the king's, life. Not to mention the whole kingdom and you know, the world."

Bleu nodded sagely, picking at a loose thread on the collar of her hooded shirt, "So, you're here for what, then? Don't tell me your having second thoughts, or cold feet, or pre-wedding jitters."

"Call it what you will, Bleu, but I'm here to ask for your help." the winged girl admitted begrudgingly.

Violet eyes looked up in interest, "Really?"

Gloved hands tightened into fists, "_Yes_."

The sorceress shifted on her stone bed and smiled, "What can I do for you?" she asked, sounding like a shopkeeper.

Nina sighed and began, deciding that she was already here so it didn't much matter what the lazy snake woman thought.

Starting to pace, she replied.

"As you know, we of the Wing Clan pride ourselves on our ability to transform into the Great Bird. That's why there are-was-such strict laws against relationships with other Clans. We don't want to lose our…inheritance, if you will. But, I know what I'm doing, and it's not like I made this choice lightly or rashly…I only regret that I am costing my children and their children this gift."

She glanced at Bleu, who looked confused, "So, your kids don't have wings, or what?"

Nina stopped pacing and faced her, annoyed, "…I don't have kids. I was _just_ saying I'm getting married."

The woman smirked, "Oh, right. Your doing things by the book. Never mind."

Nina raised a hand and pressed gloved fingers to her forehead, "I worry about what goes on in that mind of yours."

That earned her a ruckus laugh which died down into a fit of giggles. "Yeah, you should Dove."

In response to the glare, she got back on topic. "So, how do you know it will be a problem? You might be fretting about nothing."

Nina bit her lip, "I thought about that, but it's too great a chance to simply ignore."

"And you came to me, why?"

The princess sighed and shot her a pointed look, "You _are_ the self proclaimed greatest sorceress, I thought maybe you had some idea of how to stop the delusion of the Great Bird."Much to her annoyance and distress, Bleu didn't even give it a moment's thought and shook her head, "Sorry, but there is no way to solve this problem beyond what your people have tried to do already. Even someone as great as I can't fight the natural course of nature."

Nina growled slightly, turning away and biting back a sharp comment or two. She shouldn't have wasted her time in coming, only to hear what she already knew.

But, she really wasn't as angry at Bleu as she was at herself.

She was being selfish, plain and simple.

Bleu's voice cut through her thoughts with a question.

"Why are you so worried about your descendants loosing this ability? I mean, sure, it's great and all but you seem _really_ upset."

Without turning around the winged girl answered calmly and quietly, "Because, how would we have reached Scande had I not been able to fly? Would we have ever made it, would it have taken us time we didn't really have? Don't you see, even you said that you weren't sure if we had truly defeated the goddess. She could come back, or something worse could! What if…what if years from now the world needs the power of the Great Bird and they don't have it because I was too selfish to just chose everyone else over my own happiness…"

Nina half expected a nasty comment to be made by the snake woman, and she got what she expected.

"My, aren't we arrogant in thinking that your descendants would be the world saving kind."

Nina spun back to glare at her and reply hotly, "I'm marrying a Dragon Clan man, can you honestly say that I'm not tying myself and my kind to destiny forever?"

Bleu pursed her lips, "Good point. I can't argue with that. Dragons are the only Clan that change the world."

They both stood and sat in silence until Bleu finally sighed, "Alright, alright, I get your problem. Now, let me think about this for a minute…"

Nina did as she asked and leaned against a wall while the sorceress stretched and slithered off her bed to the floor, speaking to herself in low tones.

The winged princess could catch a few words, but they didn't make much since so she just spaced out until Bleu snapped her fingers.

"Got it!"

The blonde girl's eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yes and no…" Bleu replied, waving a hand at her as she made her way over to the other side of the room.

Confused, Nina was about to ask what she meant when the sorceress continued without the invite.

"See, I have an idea, but it's not what your probably hoping for. I can't stop your people from loosing this ability if they chose to marry outside the Clan, I don't even know if they will loose their wings altogether,"

That thought made Nina shudder but she listened in silence.

"What I _can_ do is grant at least a piece of the power to someone else. I'll need something from you, though."

Nina frowned, not liking the sound of that, and watched as Bleu slithered back over and dropped some things on the stone tablet before her.

The half snake woman looked over her shoulder and studied the other woman, finally nodding, "I need a flight feather."

She recoiled and questioned defensively, "What for?"

"To complete the spell," Bleu replied, sounding exasperated.

Hesitating, Nina shrugged, "I'd like to know this plan of yours before I agree to anything."

With an eye roll the older woman explained crisply, "I am going to make an item that will hold the power of the Great Bird inside it for use at a future date. There will be limitations and warnings to go along with it, but it should work."

The princess's eyes widened, "You can do that? You could grant this to someone else?"

"Like I said," Bleu warned, holding up a finger, "there will be limits."

There was a pause and then Nina swallowed, trying not to get her hopes too high only to be dashed to pieces.

"Tell me."

Bleu leaned her elbows against the stone bed and faced her completely, "Okay, here's how this will work. This item with contain the power of the Great Bird without draining you of it. I just need a sampling. Hence the flight feather. This is a one time shot, it won't work again and no one, even me, can make another once this is done. Got it?"

The winged girl nodded, prompting her to continue.

"Also, only someone of your bloodline will be able to use it. Not other Wing Clanners, only a descendent of _you_."

Nina pondered that for a moment, "That might be best," she concluded, "it would lessen the chance of the power being abused."

Bleu gave one, sharp approving nod, "Yes. And along those same lines, only someone who truly wants to use the power can do it. They have to be completely and utterly resigned to their fate and have no evil intensions in their heart. If they don't meet the requirements, the spell won't work."

At this the sorceress paused and averted her gaze, "Now comes the part your not going to like,"

Nina's eyes narrowed, "Why?"

"Because, once this spell is used, there is no going back. That person can't change back into a human. They have to stay in the form of the Great Bird forever."

Sucking in a deep breath, Nina thought about what that would mean.

The thought frightened _her_, and she was used to the transformations.

But to be in that form forever?

She could no more expect a Dragon Clan member to wish that upon themselves, even with the increased power.

Would she truly subject her children to that fate?

The answer whispered it's self into her mind.

"_Yes_."

If they were truly her children, then they would understand the risks.

If the world needed it, she had no doubt they would give up their life to do what was right.

And, part of her felt guilty that now, after the war, was the time she was selling out that part of herself. She knew what the cost was, how selfish she was being.

Looking up, Bleu had a serious expression on her face, very different from her normal haughty self.

"I…understand. I have to trust that if the world was in that much need, that this would be for the best. I have to trust that my children's children will understand that too, and do what's right. I can't…I can't know what's going to happen, and I can't change how selfish I am being, but maybe I can at least provide this small thing." she said, her voice unsteady.

Bleu luckily didn't mock her and merely nodded, "I take it you want me to proceed?"

Nina nodded and the sorceress smiled, "Good. Now, I need one flight feather."

Opening her wings wide, Nina looked for the least noticeable place to pluck a feather from, while frowning to herself.

"You know," she commented, reaching onto the left wing, one she had broken when the Time Key knocked her back a few years, "we in the Wing Clan only give flight feathers to our closest and dearest friends."

Bleu turned around and watched Nina hold out a pale plume.

She smirked, "Well, I'm sure your fiancée has a pile of them, then."

Despite feeling flustered, Nina managed an icy glare at the woman.

After that the sorceress ignored her and sorted through the strange items she had pulled out, muttering to herself and nodding.

Nina merely waited, brushing her fingers along the wing and trying to smooth down the ruffle.

Finally Bleu took a deep breath and spoke again, "Okay, here we go. This might be a tiny bit scary. Don't freak out, Dove."

Rolling her eyes, the princess nevertheless scooted back a few steps while the snake sorceress raised both hands and started speaking in a strange tongue.

The air stopped still for a moment, and then reversed suddenly, making the winged girl wince.

Wing Clanners were able to feel magic much stronger then others, and she shivered at the amount of power being channeled and shaped.

She had always mocked Bleu's magical abilities, and the fact that she could never remember her spells, but now she understood.

This woman was no ordinary sorceress.

She was something special, something powerful. Her magic would never be rivaled by any mortal in the world.

And just as quickly as she had cast the spell, a light flashed and the air fell back into normal, the magical currents of Wisdon returning to their more dormant state.

"Ta da!" the sorceress exclaimed, waving off a little mist that was pouring from where the objects had been.

The only thing to remain was a smooth rock about the size of a palm with the symbol of a feather on it.

"What did you do?" Nina asked, genuinely interested.

Bleu shrugged, flipping a few stray hairs of her shoulder, "Oh, this and that, you wouldn't understand. To complex."

Nina glared at her and she just winked and slithered over to the item, picking it up and looking it over.

"…Not what I was expecting, but still pretty nice." she said, praising her own work.

She held it out and the winged princess carefully took it, letting it rest in her hands and blinking.

It was weightless and pure, the small ebb of magic coming from it unmistakable.

When she shook herself back to the present, she saw that Bleu had already wiped off the bed and was settling herself down.

"That's it?" Nina asked, slightly angry, "You just give me this and go back to sleep?"

The blue haired woman grinned and glanced at her, "I was having a lovely dream before you interrupted me, so yes. I am going back to sleep. You've got what you came for, you should be pleased."

With an eye roll and a 'humph' the winged princess walked towards the staircase, looking back to see Bleu watching her with her body laid out and her head propped up on a hand.

"Don't come and wake me up again, 'K Dove?"

Nina turned her back and ducked under the archway, "I don't think you have to worry about that."

As her foot had just stepped onto the first stair, Bleu's voice echoed from the chamber behind her with one last comment.

"Oh, Nina?"

Taking a deep, soothing breath, the princess looked over her shoulder, moving a wing out of the way to see the sorceress.

Bleu lifted up her head and winked, still wearing that annoying smirk.

"If you do ever have kids, maybe I'll meet them someday."

She turned away, "That is a truly frightening thought, Bleu."

The snake woman laughed as Nina started to ascend the steps once more, pausing after a few and quietly calling, "And thank you."

**Author's Note: Okay, so obviously I have no actual clue where the 'Mark of Wing' came from, but I thought this was a good idea. I loved Bleu and Nina's attitudes with each other in game and hopefully I captured them alright in this story. And before anyone asks, there was a reason why ****Nina's f****iancé isn't mentioned by name, even though we all know who it is. That's because in every game, although it is implied, they never actually say Ryu's name...Have you noticed that?**

**Okay, I'm done talking now, hopw you enjoyed this random story!**


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